summary: Originally an unlikely match, you give birth to Aegon’s first child and his entire world changes.
pairing: Aegon x Strong!Reader
word count: 767
warnings: Description of pain & childbirth, brief mention of blood, guilt.
note: “Albatross” is used metaphorically as a psychological burden dealing with shame or guilt! (and shout out to Taylor Swift)
Aegon wanted to hate you. He wanted to hate your hair and your eyes. Your thick eyelashes, the freckles that dusted your cheeks, the way your nose scrunched when you laughed. Despite wanting to hate you in your entirety, he found himself physically incapable of doing so. As a young boy he refused to admit it, even going so far as to tease you for your features — but he thought you were beautiful. If anything, you could’ve resembled his mother more than a Targaryen.
It wasn’t your features that were wrong, but who you inherited them from; you and your brother’s served as living, breathing reminders of Rhaenyra’s infidelity.
Alicent Hightower had been sure to remind him and his siblings that you and your brothers were a product of their older sister's infidelity. An embarrassment to the family. An insult to the crown, to the realm. Abominations. Bastards.
Screams of pain shook the walls of the Red Keep.
“I can’t do this anymore, Aegon! Please make it stop, it hurts!” you rasped, clawing at the blood-soaked bedsheets. It had been almost 24 hours since your labors had begun. To everyone's surprise, Aegon had yet to leave your side.
“We’re almost there, my love. You’re doing a great job,” your husband encouraged as he placed a chaste kiss to your sweat-drenched forehead, which you only returned with a death glare.
“I cannot take it anymore! Just get it out! Cut it out if you have to!”
One of your handmaids tried to dab at your forehead with a cloth, but you gripped her hand forcefully.
Aegon gave her a sympathetic look as he got her out of your grasp, locking his fingers with yours.
“You know we can’t do that, my love. I will not risk losing you.”
You winced as your midwife slid a finger around the base of your opening. All day long you had been violated against your will. Childbirth was not only painful, but humiliating. For Aegon’s sake, you silently prayed the babe was a boy. You weren’t sure if you would be willing to go through this again.
“I can feel the head, your grace. Just a few more big pushes for me and the babe will be here.”
You groaned loudly, your teeth grinding together as another contraction wracked your frame. Pain radiated down your spine and into your groin. You felt like you were being ripped apart at the seams. Being eaten by Sunfyre seemed to be a more pleasant fate than this.
“You hear that? You’re almost done. You’re doing so good.”
You squeezed onto Aegon’s hand as hard as you could, pushing with all the strength in your body. The harder you pushed, the sooner it would be over. You needed it to be over. With a final push, your vision began to blur and your mind went blank.
Before you knew it, loud cries pulled you back to Earth, and coo’s from your handmaidens filled the room. You laid back with a sigh of relief.
Finally.
The handmaids quickly handed the babe to Aegon so you could get cleaned up.
“A girl,” she stated proudly, “and she looks just like you, my queen.”
“Like me?” You shot up.
“Lay back your grace, you need to relax,” she scolded you.
Throughout your pregnancy there was a fear in the back of your mind, that if the babe inherited your features that Aegon would be disappointed. Turns out, you couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Yes,” he chuckled, tears swelling in his eyes, “like you. She is absolutely beautiful.”
He placed the baby in your arms, smiling down at the two of you.
A wave of guilt had crashed over Aegon at the sight of his newborn daughter. As well as your initial reaction to her looks. Thinking about the torment you endured for those same features in a world full of violet eyes and snow-white hair. How could he have been so cruel to you for something so fickle?
He couldn’t help but think about Ser Harwin Strong. And the fact that he probably shared the same thoughts as him the first time he laid eyes on you as a babe. This baby was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and the thought of anyone making her believe anything else made his blood boil. He would simply not allow it. Anyone who even dare whisper a word regarding your daughters features would lose their tongue for it.
Although the responsibility of sitting the Iron Throne loomed heavy over Aegon’s head it wasn’t until this very moment that he had true reason to be motivated to rule: his new family
hey , si only 8 days till the first episode arrives sooooooo , will we blessed with new the queen and her husband content ? ;)
Hi anon, a day late but here you have new content of the Queen and her husbands, this time Aemond is not present in this but I still hope you like it 🥰🥰
likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated 💖💖
Series masterlist
Prince Daeron snuggled deeper into his hiding place as he heard footsteps. He silently waited for whoever he had entered to leave. But then the long tablecloth that covered the table was lifted, revealing his parents crouching down.
“Is there a place for us?” His father asked with a smile and normally Daeron would have calmed down when he saw it but with the words of his grandmother and the maester still running through his head, he wanted to cry.
You and Aegon exchanged a worried look when you saw that your son only nodded with his lips in a straight line, nothing like your always happy baby.
The prince saw how his parents took the crown off their heads and then left them on the floor and got under the table with him. Father pulled the tablecloth again to hide the three of them from the rest of the world.
Daeron felt warm and loved with his body pressed between yours and Aegon's. He wanted to stay there forever, with father holding you two and your hands gently stroking his hair while you hummed his favorite song. But he knew that his parents couldn't stay hidden with him forever because you were king and queen and you two had many things to do and he also had to return to his lessons.
“Am I grounded?” he asked making you stop humming.
“Should we punish you?” Aegon asked instead making his son look at him confused.
“I ran away from my lessons,” the prince said, not understanding why neither you nor Aegon seemed upset or angry with him.
“We know, your grandmother and the maester told us,” you told him.
Both you and Aegon noticed how Daeron grew smaller at the mention of adults. You watched as your husband frowned and clenched his jaw. You had no idea what was going on in his head but it clearly wasn't a good thing.
“Did they do something to you?” he asked, surprising you and your son. But Aegon didn't mince words, if Alicent or that maester had dared to lay a hand on his son then his mother would return to her family home in Old Town and the maester would be Sunfyre's next meal. “. “Daeron if they did something to you you have to tell us.”
"They didn't do anything," the boy quickly said when he saw the serious look in his father's eyes. He didn't want his grandmother and the maester to get into trouble because of him. "It's just that," he fell silent, not being sure if he wanted to talk about what was distressing him. He didn't want to disappoint you two.
“You can tell us anything, little dragon,” you encouraged him when you saw that he seemed hesitant. “No one will be mad at you,” you assured him and kissed his forehead.
“They said I should do better in my lessons if I want to be a good king.”
Your heart broke as you heard your baby's trembling little voice. And Aegon felt his anger with his mother increase, it had not been enough for him to make him feel inadequate for most of his life and now he made his son feel bad too.
But any anger was forgotten with Daeron's next words.
“But I don't want to be king because if I'm king then it means mother and you aren't with me anymore!” He shouted before bursting into tears and Aegon rushed to pick him up and lift him onto his lap. Daeron's hands quickly latch onto his father's neck as he begins to rock his body from side to side like he did when Daeron was a baby.
You watch with a heavy heart and without knowing what to do. You weren't prepared for this conversation. You can't lie to your son and tell him that the two of you would never leave his side because neither of you is immortal. But you don't want to stay silent either. You want to comfort your baby and make his anguish disappear.
“My little dragon, you don't have to worry about that yet,” you began to speak while you gently wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Your father and I will live for many years, so long that we will start to bother you and you will want us to leave you alone."
“It's a lie, I'll always need you,” he said, making Aegon laugh and earning a kiss on the forehead from her.
“I'm going to tell you a secret but you have to promise not to tell anyone,” you said as you raised your little finger and your son soon intertwined his own finger with yours, looking at you with his violet eyes full of curiosity.
“Won't you make Father promise too?” He asked when he saw that you didn't extend your pinky to Aegon.
“No, because he has known for a long time and never told anyone,” you responded, making your husband smile and you leaned in to steal a short kiss, making the prince complain. “Someone’s anxious,” you scoffed.
“Mother, I want to know!”
“Do you remember your uncles Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey?” Your son nodded repeatedly, excited because you didn't usually talk about your brothers as much as Uncle Egg, and Aegon made sure to put one of his hands on Daeron's head to prevent him from hitting the table.” Well, when I miss them a lot they usually come to see me in my dreams. So when you miss us or need us you can look for us in your dreams.”
“And you are always going to come?” Daeron asked anxiously.
“We can't promise that but we'll try,” your husband answered for you when he saw that you weren't sure what to say.
“I hope you make an effort or I will get angry with you,” the prince warned, crossing his arms, but instead of intimidating you, he made you two smile.
“It seems fair to us” You kissed his cheek and Daeron smiled.
“Now stop worrying and go find your brothers to play,” your husband said as he carefully lowered Daeron off of him.
“But my lessons”
“I ran away from my lessons all the time and I'm still a good king, right?”
“Aegon, don't give him any ideas,” you patted him on the back but your husband could see that you weren't seriously reprimanding him or that you were upset by how you were holding back a smile. After all, he sometimes sneaked out of his lessons to be with you. He still remembered how Alicent scolded him when she found him in the gardens with you but he didn't care because in the end, you had made him a pretty flower crown, if it were up to him he would have worn it until the flowers had withered but he could barely use it for two days when his mother forbade him to continue wearing it because he was not acting like a prince. “Today is an exception but then you have to continue attending your lessons with the maester and pay attention,” you said, bringing your husband back to the present.
“If I have to study more then I don't want to be king” the boy complained.
“Being king sounds tough, right?” Aegon sighed dramatically. "But don't worry, your mom and I will take care of everything so when your turn comes you won't have a lot of work to do,” he assured his son as he ruffled Daeron's hair. “Now go to play.”
Daeron smiled and kissed each of them on the cheek.
“I love you,” he said before quickly leaving under the table feeling much better.
Pairing: Helaegon. My beloved Helaegon.
Characters: Helaena, Aegon II, Aemond, Ser Erryk and Arryk, Ser Criston (just a cameo, because he had something way important to do) and my beloved kids Jaehaera, Jaehaerys and Maelor.
Warnings: fluff, basically. A bit of comedy here and there. Aegon being a loving dad and Aemond a somewhat caring uncle.
Word count: 4185
Beta: the lovely @lyssaelisa that helped me exiting a bad writer's block with the idea for this story and for helping me with suggestions and corrections. And obviously thanks also for the awesome title!
Dividers: @zaldritzosrose
Also on Ao3
Aegon lazily stretched his arm towards the other half of the bed, moving his hand over the crumpled sheets and finding them, to his dismay, empty.
He huffed in annoyance, running a frustrated hand through his already disheveled, tangled hair. He’d completely forgotten, lost in the pleasant memory of Helaena’s sleepy smile, that year her nameday coincided with the seventh day of the week.
That effing seventh day.
The day meant for the services at the Great Sept, a non–negotiable commitment in the eyes of the Hightowers, and by extension, their mother. Which in turn meant that Helaena must have accompanied her to the aforementioned Sept as always.
And lastly, the most infuriating consequence of all, that unfortunate coincidence had just utterly ruined all of his carefully (well, somewhat carefully, honestly speaking) laid plans for her nameday.
The slow decadent morning, the lavish breakfast consumed while lingering in bed with her (he'd even instructed one of the cooks to prepare her favourite lemon cakes –the ones with extra icing–), the idea of showering her with attentions and whispered compliments followed by a slow, tender lovemaking, abruptly swept away.
His gift, a beautifully carved ivory hair comb with an exquisite and colourful blue butterfly, would remain locked in the drawer until evening.
That's it. All gone.
He grabbed a pillow and sank his face into it, stifling a cry of frustration.
He had even thought to suggest to her a ride on their dragons, a shared flight above the city, a rare moment together far from the bustle of court.
Maybe there was still time to save their private dinner, away from the prying eyes and tedious conversations, perhaps with just their children, their innocent joy a welcome contrast to the usual courtly fanfare.
Perhaps, perhaps...
Instead of a day filled with their own quiet intimacy, Helaena would be spending hours in the dimly lit temple, listening to annoying sermons and engaging in pious rituals alongside their mother.
It seemed his attempts at a romantic nameday celebration were once again thwarted by the unwavering devotion of the Hightowers to their Gods.
"Oh, for fuck's sake…" he sighed again. A deeper, more resigned sound this time.
Something sharp tore him from his thoughts, starting to press insistently on his stomach and causing him to let out a half-smothered grumble of protest from a pair of small hands that had unceremoniously settled on his face, smacking it.
"...ouch!" he protested, managing to grab his attacker's hands and stopping them: Maelor's chubby, toothless face entered his vision, followed by Jaehaerys’.
"Wake up Daddy!" Jaehaerys’ impatient voice overpowered his little brother's babbling. "Wake up!"
"Daddy!!!" echoed Jaehaera, her little silver head appearing beside her brothers’. His daughter, with her inexhaustible energy, was still hopping merrily on his stomach.
"I'm awake!" he muttered, feeling the bed sway under the weight of his children. "Ouch!!! I'm... awake!"
He silently thanked the heavens that he had at least kept his breeches on, and sat up, supporting Maelor with one arm.
"A-ha! So it was your knee that woke me up." he grinned, grabbing Jaehaera's foot with his free hand and tickling her as punishment for waking him up like that, delighting in his little girl's giggles.
A smile involuntarily painted itself on his lips, despite the abrupt interruption of his plans.
"Your brother is still a baby, Jaehaera, you should be very careful when you pick him up from his cradle." he explained softly, gently settling Maelor in his lap. The little boy gurgled contentedly, his chubby little hands reaching out to grasp the golden embroidery of the sheet. "See? Like this, you have to support his head or he might get hurt. Whatever, what can I do for you, you little scoundrels?" he continued, his tone back to his usual demeanor, adjusting Maelor in his arms with tenderness.
"We need your help, we want to build a present for mummy." Jaehaerys explained, fixing his gaze on him.
"Build… what?… you're asking me for help?!" Aegon exclaimed, raising his brows in surprise. "I don't even know where to start, dudes!"
"Oh papa please!" Jaehaera persisted, her lower lip trembling slightly. "We tried to ask Uncle Aemond as well..."
"And when? We all know that the best time to ask your uncle for something is when he's so dead tired that he can't say no..." Aegon added, with a grin. For a brief moment he pictured his brother, exhausted and wanting nothing more than silence, being cornered by his nephews and especially by Jaehaera's persistence; knowing then that she was Aemond's favourite, Jaehaera knew how to gain leverage over her uncle and sometimes took advantage of it, like in those cases.
"We've been to him before we came to you, daddy, but Uncle Aemond told us to come to you…." was Jaehaerys’ retort, who shrugged his shoulders as if he had done the most natural thing in the world.
Of course he did, that little… Aegon thoughts, with annoyance. Suddenly widened his eyes in disbelief, the grin quickly fading on his face replaced by a look of concern.
"... you were in his room?" asked then, his voice rising a bit.
"Yes, and he wouldn't wake up!" replied Jaehaera with indignation in her voice. "We called him over and over, but he wouldn't answer us."
In a tone filled with childish pride, Jaehaerys told of how they had evaded the nannies, sneaking into Aemond's rooms through the secret passages –a network of hidden corridors that he barely remembered existed– so as not to be stopped by Ser Criston, and how after several attempts to get his attention, at first whispering his name, than called out louder and finally after several attempts, they had literally jumped on Aemond, landing on his bed –and on his back–. He had only decided to pay attention to them when Maelor, deeply fascinated and captivated by the shiny sapphire in his left socket, had reached out his chubby fingers dangerously close to the gemstone.
"No, no, just a minute, hold on!!! What have you done?!"
Aemond snuck behind them silently, his tall frame moving with a predator's grace. The twins, still chattering excitedly with Aegon about their gift idea, didn't hear him until it was too late. With a swift movement, he scooped up Jaehaera, grabbing her around the waist and hoisting her onto his shoulder as if she were a weightless rag doll. For a mischievous moment, he held her upside down, her silver hair cascading towards the stone floor, a surprised squeal escaping her lips before he righted her and began to tickle her, just as he had done earlier in the relative privacy of his rooms, a faint, almost imperceptible smile wrinkling the corner of his lips as the little girl dissolved into fits of laughter.
"Kēpus, stop!!!"[uncle] she begged him there and then, her face flushed and red with the exertion of giggling, in a vain attempt to stop his relentless hand. He ruthlessly continued, a glint of amusement in his eye, heedless of Jaehaera's little hands grasping wherever she could find purchase tugging at his tunic, pulling gently at the strands of his hair.
"Ow! ‘Twas not for that reason that I showed you the secret passages..." Aemond finally said, his voice a low rumble that was barely audible above Jaehaera's laughter. "Had I known you were going to use them to ambush me in the early morning..." he trailed off, a hint of mock exasperation in his tone.
"You would have set traps, wouldn't you?" finished Aegon for him, leaning against the headboard with a smirk.
"Good idea, indeed." agreed Aemond, turning his gaze again at the two little pests, Jaehaera now sliding off his shoulder and giggling uncontrollably on the floor. "So next time, when I woke up, I would find you all dangling by your feet, swinging from the ceiling like three bats." His gaze then softened as he looked at Maelor who, still sitting comfortably on his father's lap, clapped his little hands in amusement, his wide eyes fixed on his uncle. Aemond shot his youngest nephew a mock stern look, a playful furrow in his brow. "Well, let's say two and a half."
*
Aegon instructed the nannies to prepare the twins, then followed with a leisurely pace into the courtyard: as they stepped outside, they both began to diligently scour the flowerbeds and the edges of the paced walkways.
"I notice that the habit of looking for a present at the very last minute is an inherited issue." Aemond remarked, with a hint of amusement in his voice at his older brother's well-known procrastination.
"And yet you are wrong, for I have a gift for her." said Aegon, shooting him one of his usual sneers, puffing out his chest slightly with a smug look on his face. "And it's something spontaneous, natural. Something she will surely love because it comes from the heart. Too bad you can't understand it, since you don't have one."
Aemond shook his head, a hint of a smile ghosting on his lips. He arched his good eyebrow, slowly slipping on a dark leather glove.
Natural for sure, knowing him.
"Of course, let me guess. Another earthworm plucked randomly from the first flower bed that came your way. I bet it will be particularly slimy this year and will keep company to the previous years' ones."
"You always underestimate me." Aegon retorted, a touch of genuine offense in his voice. "Besides, look who's talking, you gifted her sewing materials last year! Sewing material! Who would give such things to a sister?"
"For your reference, it was fine silk from Qarth and pure gold thread, Aegon." Aemond corrected him, his tone laced with a glimpse of superiority. "The same thread, by the way, that Helaena used to embroider the magnificent portrait of Sunfyre on your favourite vest. So much for your earthworms." he scoffed, watching the twins searching for something on the ground.
Helaena had embroidered something for him too, overcoming his resistance –the gift was for her after all, she should have embroidered something beautiful for herself instead of wasting some of that precious and expensive thread for him– in the end he had accepted a small Vhagar's embroidery on the shoulder of one of his tunics to make her happy.
"Mama always says insects are beautiful and help nature. Don't you like earthworms, kēpus?" interjected Jaehaera, tilting her head and looking up at Aemond with wide eyes. Her small hands, still clutching a handful of colorful petals and leaves, were held out slightly, as if offering him a closer look at her findings.
Aemond tried unsuccessfully to suppress the shiver of pure, unaltered disgust that ran down his spine, at the mere thought of those slimy, wriggling little creatures so beloved by Helaena and, it seemed, also by Jaehaera.
Interesting? Certainly. Useful to nature? For sure.
The thought of their tiny, unseen legs crawling on him, the slick texture of their bodies leaving a trail of dampness, was enough to made him shudder inside. He swallowed hard, forcing a polite smile.
"I'm sure of it, my dear, but I prefer butterflies... at least they fly, they don't crawl on the soil." replied Aemond, his gaze drifting upwards as if already imagining the delicate flutter of wings. "Speaking of which..." he continued, his tone brightening with a sudden, almost palpable enthusiasm. "...I could go and find one that your mum doesn't have yet, a truly unique one. How does that sound?"
Aegon saw his daughter considering his proposal, her brow furrowed in thought for a few seconds before a wide smile spread across her face. She accepted it after a few seconds with an enthusiastic nod.
"Oh, yes please!" Jaehaera clapped her hands together, her earlier fascination with earthworms momentarily forgotten, the voice filled with hope. "Can you get me some wild flowers for mama's gift too, kēpus Aemond?"
"Of course." Aemond agreed instantly, his voice a little too eager. Any excuse to be gone, his hand already moving towards the reins of his waiting horse, swinging onto the back of it with one smooth movement.
"Look, Aem, I know what you're doing." Aegon muttered in his direction.
"And what am I doing?" Aemond asked innocently, settling on the saddle.
"You're running away."
"For once in my life I have to agree with you, you know?" Aemond chuckled, gathering the reins in his gloved hands, ready to spur the horse out of the courtyard gates and towards the relative peace of the open fields.
"You're such an asshole." Aegon called after him, though there was more fondness than genuine anger in his voice.
"...i know, i know." Aemond replied with a lazy grin, already urging his horse forward, leaving Aegon and the children standing in the courtyard.
An asshole and a coward.
Ser Arryk approaching, to remind him of the impending hearing, seemed to come at the right time.
"Ser Arryk, what a fortuitous coincidence!" Aegon exclaimed, with a wide, relieved smile spread across his face. "How are you at handywork?"
The knight, a man of few words and even fewer questions, looked at him questioningly, his brow furrowed slightly, not daring to reply with another question to his King.
"That depends on what you mean with that, Your Grace." Ser Arryk finally responded, respectful. "I can handle myself in many different things if the occasion requires it. Swords, lances, basic repairs to my armor..."
Aegon nodded, a look of vague satisfaction on his face, though it was clear he hadn't been listening to the whole answer.
"And your brother?"
"Much the same, Your Grace."
"Good." Aegon nodded again, clapping his hands together with an air of finality. "Children, listen. Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk have offered to help you with your gift. I... uh... I unfortunately have serious matters of state to attend to."
He walked swiftly away towards the throne room, entrusting the twins and whatever their idea was for Helaena's nameday, to the bewildered knights.
Half an hour later, the four of them were still locked in a heated, albeit hushed, argument in a quiet corner of the courtyard, surrounded by a scattered collection of leaves and twigs.
"A bat house?" proposed Erryk out of the blue. "It's small, they could hang it just outside their windows, and it would be... quite easy. Maybe."
"Bats feed on insects." Arryk reminded him, his voice flat. "In little more than a night they probably would decimate the queen's prized insect collection. Remember how upset she was when that green moth went missing?"
"Right, right." Erryk conceded, scratching his head. "A terrarium for spiders? Remember how happy our sister was when we built her one for her tenth nameday all those years ago? Kids love spiders!"
Arryk's eyes widened in alarm.
"You also remember what happened the last time one of the queen's spiders escaped from its case, don't you? The giant one, with the hairy legs?"
A collective shudder went through both knights as they recalled the chaos that had ensued. Aegon's screams in the middle of that fateful night, when the spider had decided to take a stroll right across his face, must have been heard most likely even from Astapor.
Erryk winced.
"Then I guess I'm out of ideas."
The twins, who had been listening to the knights' increasingly desperate suggestions with growing impatience, exchanged exasperated glances.
Ser Criston glimpsed them from behind, seated at a well-lit table near a huge window in the common room of the white cloaks, taking back his lecture right in time when he spotted the two children.
Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk were seated, surrounded by a chaotic assortment of leaves, twigs, and wilting flower petals. The twins perched on the edges of their seats, their expressions a mixture of frustration and determination. He had initially overheard Ser Erryk explaining something in a low, patient tone, but the knight's words trailed off abruptly when he noticed the Lord Commander approaching behind him.
"...a bug house is a nice idea, Your Highness." Erryk was saying. "But unfortunately, it's quite difficult to construct one properly, and we don't have much time before your mother's return..."
Ser Criston approached the table, his gaze sweeping over the scattered materials. He observed the twins' dejected faces and the two knights' increasingly harried expressions. With a sigh he addressed the children directly.
"Why don't you make it simple?" he suggested, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Just draw a very large butterfly on a parchment. You can use those wooden sticks for the body and the antennae, and then decorate the wings with the most colourful flower petals you can find. I'm sure your mother will love it."
Jaehaera and Jaehaerys exchanged a hopeful glance. They huddled together, whispering excitedly, their earlier frustration forgotten as they considered Ser Criston's suggestion. After a few moments of animated discussion, they both nodded in agreement: that would be perfect, their mum loved butterflies!
"Praise be to the gods." whispered Arryk, relieved. "Thank you, Sir. Three heads are definitely better than two in such a situation."
Ser Criston raised a stern eyebrow, his gaze fixed on Arryk.
"Three? Don't even think about it. I have guard rotations to organize."
*
As promised, Aemond came back a couple of hours later convinced, with a certain smugness, that he had successfully escaped the crafting danger –without knowing that, in truth, he was about to walk right into it–, offering a rather convincing explanation about having preferred to let the rare, iridescent blue butterfly he had observed fluttering near the woods go free, claiming it was too magnificent to be confined.
"...but I got you flowers, these should be enough right? ...right?"
Aegon wandered back to the courtyard only to be told by a still-exasperated Ser Criston that the children had moved their project to the guards' common room, seeking a more stable surface and, presumably, more ideas. The sight that greeted him there was enough to make him stop in his tracks, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Perched rather awkwardly on a wooden bench, next to Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk, sat Aemond.
His austere, always composed little brother, the usually stoic and proud dragonrider, the skilled and fierce swordsman, was surrounded by the twins, both of whom were meticulously fixing vibrantly colored flower petals onto a drawing of a rather lopsided butterfly with what appeared to be tree resin. His face as the knights offered him suggestions and advice about the correct way to glue the petals onto the parchment was priceless.
Aegon couldn't help himself but bursting into a hearty laugh.
"Aemond the Fierce!" he chuckled, reaching out to leave a playful, slightly condescending pat on his brother's right cheek, completely ignoring Aemond's immediate and murderous stare. "Oh, come on, you don't know how cute you look right now!"
*
It was already past noon when Helaena finally returned from the functions: Aegon had found himself eagerly peering at her return from a corridor window for a good half hour already, his brow furrowed and his hands drumming nervously on one of Maelor's little legs, his mind already projected forward to the quiet, intimate dinner that awaited them both in a few hours. He had spent much of her absence reviewing his plans while his sons had been with Ser Erryk and Arryk, trying to save at least their dinner from Alicent's clutches. Maelor rested his little hands on the historiated window pane and began to babble happily, heedless of his father's impatience.
"For Gods' sake, Aegon, you're making me seasick." huffed Aemond, lazily sitting by the fireplace, watching his brother pacing back and forth incessantly and impatiently, stopping occasionally to peek anxiously through the glass. "You'll end up digging a furrow in the floor. Besides, you know how our mother is, they will only return to the palace when the Septon will declare the service concluded. Not before."
Aegon thought about how many hours were wasted, in his eyes, for something that could be done in little more than an hour: after all, the Gods cared about the faith and truthfulness the believers instilled in their prayers, not the time it took them to do it. He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated, before stopping short and looking more carefully out of the window: in the distance, just beyond the main gate of the fortress, he finally glimpsed the unmistakable silhouette of the royal carriage.
"Hold him a moment." Aegon said in an excited tone, placing Maelor unceremoniously in Aemond's arms. The baby, caught by surprise, clung instinctively to his uncle's dark tunic. "I'm going forward to greet her, you lock yourselves in our rooms... when you see the door swung open, and only in that moment, you will all shout surprise! All clear, children?" he asked, also addressing the twins who were watching him curiously.
Aemond arched his good eyebrow once more, a wry half-smile creasing one corner of his lips.
"Thank you for explaining how to make a surprise, Aegon, apparently one never stops learning." he replied sarcastically, settling his nephew better in his arms and making sure his curious little hands stayed away from his eyepatch.
Helaena sighed as she stepped out of the carriage, the acrid, pungent smell of incense still clinging to her clothes, almost like a second skin. The stillness of the deserted courtyard at that hour was almost a balm to her ears after hours of prayers and rituals. She longed for a warm fragrant bath, something light to eat and, above all, the company of her beloved children.
"I was getting worried you'd lost your way home." grinned Aegon, extending his arm for Helaena to lean on.
"The Septon has been particularly talkative today." was her comment, accepting his arm and leaning lightly against him, smiling tiredly.
"I hope you're not overtired, I have something in mind for tonight..." murmured Aegon, lowering his voice so as not to be overheard by the guards, -although they kept a respectful distance as always- as he escorted her towards their rooms. His gaze grew full of longing, promising a different evening than the dull morning spent praying.
"Please don't tell me you've organised a ball, Aegon." replied Helaena, a little alarmed.
All right, it was her nameday, but she found the idea of spending time in the midst of large celebrations tiring.
"No no, don't worry." Aegon reassured her, squeezing her arm lightly. "You've been away all morning, what makes you think I want to share you with someone else the whole evening as well?"
Her rooms, which usually welcomed her with a soothing tranquillity and the familiar buzzing of her insects, came alive with a festive energy. A wide smile blossomed on her face despite her tiredness.
Jaehaera and Jaehaerys immediately came towards her, embracing her on the threshold without giving her time to enter the room completely: she instantly replied to their embrace, reading a certain excitement in their faces. She then approached Maelor, whom Aemond still held in his arms, and took him in her arms, silently thanking Aemond with a gentle squeeze on his arm in an unspoken exchange of brotherly affection, while the little boy clung to her, sinking his face against her neck.
The twins drew her attention loudly to something carefully hidden under a drape, their excitement now barely contained.
"Happy nameday mummy, we did it for you!" they said in unison, their eyes shining with pride.
Helaena looked admiringly at the large sheet of parchment on which they had carefully drawn the outline of a magnificent butterfly. Its wings were adorned with a vivid mosaic of coloured flower petals, carefully applied to the paper with what looked like tree resin. Tiny branches formed the body and delicate antennae.
She bent over the small table, carefully tracing the delicate petals with her fingertips.
"My little loves." she murmured, excited. "It's beautiful! The colours are so bright... it's perfect, thank you." she pulled them into a tight embrace, burying her face in their hair.
They described in great detail the afternoon spent with Ser Erryk and Arryk and how, at Ser Criston's suggestion, they had decided to draw her a butterfly. To Aemond's embarrassment, who clumsily tried to downplay it, they did not fail to tell how their uncle had procured those colourful flowers and resin for them from a Kingswood tree.
"So thank you too." smiled Helaena sweetly, her eyes shining with fondness as she turned to Aemond. She reached out a hand to gently caress his cheek, her light, caring touch causing him to faintly blush under Aegon's amused gaze. Aemond stiffened slightly under her touch, his eye lingering with embarrassment, but he did not shy away from her caress. A small, almost imperceptible smile grazed his lips.
Aegon decided to hand her his present later, in the privacy of their bedroom, preferring not to steal those moments from their children.
We have time, he told himself, looking forward to the evening that was slowly approaching.
Aegon would need to have a loving relationship with the mother of his children to be a good dad, to be honest. He fucks his way through the city and leaves bastards behind without care and doesn’t really seem to care about his children with Helaena, so when he takes a mistress he loves deeply or a second wife once he becomes king, he has quite a few children and loves them dearly.
He’s not exactly a responsible father but he is a fun one. While his lover is still in bed after giving birth he tries to smuggle out his newborn children and when his love wakes and asks what he’s doing one of his older children pipes up from behind him and says, “dad is gonna take the baby and me for a ride on Sunfyre!” He only needs to be shot a look before he sheepishly puts down the newborn and takes his other child for a dragon ride.
He’d also be the one to insist on training them. He doesn’t want a knight or a member of the king's guard to do it. He doesn’t just train his sons either, if any of his daughters wanted to learn he’d have them join in. (Aemond would have to step in when Aegon wasn’t looking so they get proper training because they just goof around with Aegon)
Before bed, Aegon definitely tells the best stories. None of them are from any books; all of them are made up of adventures he had with Sunfyre and their mother, but they don’t need to know they aren’t true. Although, he loves to spend the night with his lover it doesn’t take much for his children to worm their way into their parent's bed. All they have to do is pout at Aegon and suddenly they’re wrapped up in the blankets between Aegon and their mother.
Aegon tries to never raise his voice at his children and while he shows his disappointment in them at times, he always lets them know when he’s proud of them. Whether it’s something big they do or something small, like finding a pretty rock that they want to show him because he knows to them it’s important.
I saw this parenting comic and decided to (poorly) recolor it as Aegon and Cheeseball. 💀
(Signature in corner is Mommyvern, but it’s been reposted a lot so I don’t know who the original artist is. You can see copies of the original art on a bunch of FB pages.)
Summary: Aegon's daughter wants to take on the family business but Aegon tries to convince her it's a living hell.
Warnings: Hurt comfort??? Questionable writing?
Idk the idea was really solid in my head and then I started typing and this came out ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Aegon never thought he'd be a father, or at least a good one that stayed in his child's life when his wife left. Yet here he is, in the living room, talking to his girl about what she wants to do with her life after college. Faelyn, like her father, didn't give a damn about what other people thought of her. But also like her father, she did care about what her family thought of her, even if she didn't show it.
Aegon and Faelyn sat on the couch going through her potential paths to go down once she graduated in May. She already had her eyes set on a particular one but Aegon was ready to talk her out of it.
"Dad, I majored in business specifically for the reason of taking over the family business. I want to do this, I promise," she almost begged.
"Faelyn, you don't know what you're getting into. There's a reason I stepped back from my position and handed it to your Uncle Aemond," Aegon sighed. "It's suffocating, you get no freedom, everything is planned for you."
"I can handle it! I have an amazing GPA, never left the Dean's list, was specifically asked by professors to tutor others, and was in the student body counsel all four years, including being president!"
It was frustrating, humiliating, even, to Faelyn that her dad wouldn't listen to her. She wanted the rest of the family to know that her and her dad weren't bums who live off the family fortune. She wanted her dad to be proud of her.
"Fireball, you'd lose your mind."
Fireball. Her dad's special nickname for her. Faelyn had always been a wild child. She would do what she wants, and while Aegon is normally one to support her in her choices, this is one that he was hesitant on.
Faelyn looked down at her hands and sighed, "I know you still see me as your little girl, Dad, but I'm not."
Aegon looked at his daughter, his precious daughter, who he would do anything for.
"Do you want to do this for yourself or do you want to do this to prove your worth for someone else?"
"I want to do this because…" she furrowed her brows, "because I should."
"You're not required to take this path, you know that, right?" Aegon took his daughter's hands. "You can do so many things, bigger things."
"Yes, I know that but-"
"Fireball, I'm telling you, I'm warning you, to look for a different path. I want you to be free." While Aegon didn't raise his voice the intensity was not lost on Faelyn.
"Free? You're keeping me right now from making my own decision!" Faelyn ripped her hands away from her father and walked to the window. She looked out at the trees and the birds that lived within the city walls.
Aegon sighed and rubbed his face. "Just hear me out one last time and then I'll let you choose which way you wanna go, okay?"
Faelyn's lips pressed into a thin line as she turned to glare at her father.
Aegon took a deep breath before telling her the reality of running the business, how his grandfather, her great grandfather, watched every single move. How Criston, a family friend, never left his side to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. How all his actions on the company desktop were carefully monitored, how everything he wore had to be approved, how everything had to approved, even the people he was around after work hours.
"I know you don't want your life to be like that. You can live life, your own life, Faelyn, and I want that for you. I want that for you more than you will ever know. Go and live and keep living and don't ever stop. Even you decide to go through with your plan," he took a deep breath, "I will still support you, I will always support you. But this family can be a death sentence."
Faelyn's face softened as she looked at her father, her dad. Her dad who loved her so much, who would do anything for her, who did his best to make sure her childhood, her life, wouldn't be like his. She didn't know much about his childhood, he never really brought it up and she never pried.
"You're right, dad. I don't want to be caged in all my life." A merciless laugh escaped her. "But I feel like I need to prove to my worth to great grandfather, grandmother, and even Criston.
Walking over to his daughter, Aegon leaned on the window and crossed his arms.
"You don't need to prove yourself to anyone, much less your grandmother, great grandfather, or even Criston. You do it for you. And if you choose something different and they look down on you, well," he shrugged, "they can fuck off. You don't need their approval or anyone else's for that matter."
Faelyn's heart opened up as Aegon said those words to her. She realized she's been hunting for her family's approval ever since childhood and now it's time to stop.
"I think I will do something else," she smiled. "I've actually been thinking about starting my own business."
Seeing how her eyes light up made Aegon break into a massive smile as her own.
Pairing: Aegon II and Helaena. So, canonical and typical TargIncest. You've been warned. I know some people dislike it so if you're not comfortable, just skip this and (eventually) see you next time ☺️
Other characters: Jaehaerys, Jaehaera and yet to be born Maelor.
Word counts: 1,300 circa
Warnings: as I already said, canonic Targaryen incest, hint of smut (just a hint, very very soft) at the beginning, but basically a lot of fluff. In my head it was all about dad!Aegon but it turns out differently while writing it down. OOC, obviously. A bit of swearing.
A/N: no, i'm not at all amused about how the showrunners depicted Aegon. He's not a saint and we all know, but it's not a total imbecile. And his relation to Helaena is deeper in the book. I wanted to give these two poor souls a bit of happiness like we all deserve. Also, I love these children so much.
A/N 2: I'm not used to write about Aegon (my allegiance is for Aemond), so I hope I didn't made a mess. Also, not so good with titles, sorry 🤷🏻♀️
English is not my first language and I still made a mess with verbs, so please be gentle.
As always, dividers by @zaldritzosrose
The storm had approached quickly, surprising the Red Keep and its inhabitants during the hour of the wolf.
Aegon rubbed his eyes, watching the pouring rain pelting down on the windows as a lightning illuminated the whole chamber.
Helaena protested with a soft moan as he lift the covers, allowing the cold air of the room to creep in between the sheets, and she slipped further under the warm layers, shivering.
She widened her eyes as soon as she became aware of the lightening, curling up under the covers in anticipation of the thunder that would come shortly, glimpsing Aegon sitting on the edge of the bed, stretching himself.
She reached out a hand toward him, braving the coldness, and got his attention after resting it on the center of his bare back. Aegon jerked at the sudden contact, shuddering and jumping out of the bed with a surprised shriek.
"Fuck, Hel! Your hand is a… is a block of ice!"
"Is it? Oh, sorry, my bad."
"You little liar, you're not sorry at all."
He crawls back onto the bed, tucking his hands under the covers and pulling Helaena toward him by the ankles, making her laugh.
"I have chills even where I shouldn't have them, thanks to you." he said, settling on all fours and towering over her. "What am I supposed to do now? As a minimum, to make amends, you have to warm me up. If nothing else, at least my hands."
Understanding where Aegon was trying to go with this, Helaena tried to escape, but he trapped her beneath him.
"Don't you even try." she admonished him, trying to give her words a tone as serious as possible. "Aegon, I mean it, don't ... ah!"
He slipped a hand under her back, just above her bottom, snickering amusedly on her lips at her gasp.
"There, that's much better now."
"You're unfair, I cannot move and now I'm colder than before." protested Helaena, placing her hands on his sides before tickling him. Aegon groaned in between laughing, trying hard not to collapse on her.
"Hel, stop."
Aegon leaned in to kiss her in an attempt to stop the tickle, feeling his cock already getting hard; settling down on a side, he then stroked her slowly, his palm wide open on her skin to savour every inch of Helaena's body, grasping gently a swollen breast, her round belly and at last, reaching down between her legs to discover that she was as aroused as him.
"Looks like you're not cold everywhere…" Aegon teased, stroking gently her warm folds, moving his fingers a little down. "Turn on your side, Hel."
A thunder more violent than the previous ones made her scream in fear, and Aegon clearly heard noises from the twins' room.
"Sorry…" murmured Helaena, scared.
"What for? You're safe, don't worry. We will come back to this later, I promise." he shushed her reassuringly, shrieking again when his feet touched the icy floor, headed to the small basin to wash his hands. "Fuck it's cold! It's so fucking cold!"
"We're in winter after all…"
"How strange however, a thunderstorm at this time of the year." he commented almost mindlessly, trying to reach his clothes scattered all over: the tunic half hanged on the backrest of an armchair, his breeches on another armchair, Helaena's nightgown on the rug near the fireplace where he had carelessly thrown it hours before, when he had nearly tore it off her body, eager to undress her.
"Here, put it on before you catch a cold." he coaxes, helping Helaena to wear the garment. "Stay under the blankets, Hel, I'll relight the fire."
Doing what Aegon had told her, Helaena watched him relighting the fire, their love skirmishes now forgotten.
"What a fortune we don't live at Storm's End… can you imagine it? A storm almost each day… must be exhausting."
Helaena chuckled a bit, avoiding to correct Aegon: that story about Storm's End battered by thunderstorms every day was nothing but a legend.
"...what are you doing?" she asked, looking at him questioningly when, shortly after, she saw him lacing up his breeches.
"I'm getting dressed."
"I do see that, but why?"
"Because in a few minutes we will no longer be alone. And we certainly don't want our children to see something they shouldn't, do we?" was Aegon's amused reply, as another thunder seemed to rip the sky.
"Right... Jaehaera fears thunders."
And then, as Aegon had predicted, the squeak of the door's hinges and the patter of Jaehaera's light, childish steps on the stone floor.
"Daddy?" she called him, in a barely audible voice.
He turned towards Helaena, an expression in his eyes as if to say: see?
"Come in, baby, I'm over here."
Frightened, Jaehaera had reached their room in haste, barefoot and only in her nightgown, clutching her favourite puppet to her chest.
"Here you are, I was waiting for you." he smiled, picking her up and feeling soon after her little legs encircling his waist, her little body shuddering both for fear and cold, her voice faint and shaky.
"I'm scared of thunders, daddy."
"I know, sweetie, mum is scared too. But have no fear, I'm here. I'll take Sunfyre and we'll fight them until you'll be safe!" proclaimed Aegon, drawing an imaginary sword. "Rawrrr, beware of you, damn thunders!!!"
"Nooo! Stay with me!"
"Fine... let's sneak under the blanket until the storm is gone. You too Jaehaerys, I know you're behind the armchair."
The little boy followed his sister shortly after, climbing into the bed and settling between his twin and Helaena.
Another lightning, in anticipation of it's thunder.
"Shoo them away daddy."
"Uh... I'll see what I can do, but in the meantime, how about a hug? Would that be good?"
Aegon settled on his back, pulling Jaehaera to him and inducing her to rest her head on his heart, careful to cover the other ear with one hand as to shield it from the increasingly loud thunders outside.
"Here, listen to my heart. You are safe now, love, don't be scared."
"It's getting closer and closer." noticed Helaena.
Aegon reached out a hand, brushing her cheek with his knuckles.
"It will be over in no time, you'll see."
Jaeherys hugged his mother trying to imitate the embrace in which Aegon had enclosed Jaehaera.
"Here mummy, I'll protect you." he said, imitating Aegon's gestures and patting his little hand over his heart in a sort of invitation.
Helaena smiled lovingly, resting her head on her son's chest but without weighing on him.
"You are safe, mummy, fear not!"
"Be gentle Jaehaerys, your mum is carrying a baby." Aegon interjected, still stroking Jaehaera's back. When he noticed his wife's gaze upon him, he turned his head towards her. "What?"
"I've told you, you're a great dad."
He didn't tell her how much those words meant to him, to know that he was and would be a better father to their children than Viserys had been to the two of them, to Aemond, to Daeron. He did not remember ever receiving affection from him, because Viserys had reserved it only for Rhaenyra.
He looked at Jaehaera resting on his chest, stroking her silvery hair: the only thought of the endless trust his little girl had in him and how much love he felt for her, her brother, and for the little one who was about to arrive, was sufficient to make him cry in joy.
"I want them to know that they're loved. They're so loved. You're everything good that I have in my life even if sometimes I'm a mess."
"We're all a mess, in our own way. We just need to find how to put together the pieces. Look: the storm is gone."
